Behind the Blogger – Joanne Robertson from My Chestnut Reading Tree

Tell me about Joanne the person behind the blog?

I’m Joanne although only my mum calls me that-to everyone else I’m Jo or Mum or Nana! I live in Holmes Chapel in Cheshire with my grumpy Scottish husband and my cavapoo Darcy. We also have various kids move back in and out again of Hotel Mama so there’s never a dull moment in the Robertson household. I work in a school part time, have a little eBay business and also look after my 4 gorgeous grandchildren while their mummy’s are at work.

When did you start blogging and why?

My blog will be a year old on Feb 26th. But I had been reviewing on Amazon and Goodreads for a few years before that. It was Sandra Foy who convinced me to set up my blog after the Leeds TBC meet up last year. It took a lot for me to get my reviews out there but my Amazon reviews always got good responses so I thought why not? And I’ve never looked back!

What are your proudest moments or achievements todate as a blogger?

My proudest moment happened this week when I noticed I had had part of my review for The Bone Field by Simon Kernick used in its Amazon page alongside all the reviews from the papers! I’ve been a huge fan of his for years so got incredibly excited when I saw it! Also when my first quote was used in a paperback (Before I Let you In by Jenny Blackhurst) It was always my dream to be quoted in a book I could buy in my local Tesco!

If you had to breakdown the components of your ideal perfect book what would they be?

For me a perfect book needs to be one that I psychically can’t put down. It needs to engage me pretty early on but what I want most of all is to be SURPRISED! Either by the plot or a twist I didn’t see coming. On that matter I HATE it if a book has the tag line “with a twist you won’t see coming” as 99% of the time I do as I see it as a personal challenge and that can spoil my reading experience. My favourite books are those that have twists that have come as a big shock to me-that’s my idea of heaven! If those books have twins in them….even better!!!

What is your favourite genre to read?

I adore psychological suspense or thrillers. The twistier the better!

Putting you on the spot here, what are your TOP 3 books that you would recommend?

1. One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis One of the best twists I’ve ever read that made me stop reading, flick back a page and read again…then again!!

2. Flowers For The Dead by Barbara Copperthwait This turned the serial killer genre on its head for me as I had major character crush on murderer Adam! How twisted is that?It’s also one of the most beautifully set out books I’ve ever read with the descriptions of the flowers at the start of each chapter.

3. The Good Girl by Mary Kubica A book that took over my whole existence whilst reading it and that stayed in my mind for days after! It’s probably the book I recommend more than any other book to give you a “book hangover”

Finally, tell me more about your blog and why we should subscribe

My blog is called My Chestnut Reading Tree and I post most days about psychological suspense, crime thrillers and women’s fiction. The only thing you won’t find on there is sci-fi. I really only blog about books I’ve read and would recommend so if people enjoy the same books as me they can trust me to recommend their next read! I do have a tendency to “overshare” sometimes though so you have been warned!